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Honor Harrington
For others named Harrington Lady Dame Honor Stephanie Alexander-Harrington, KOR, MC, CGM, Steadholder Harrington, Duchess Harrington, Countess White Haven, was a citizen of the Star Kingdom of Manticore, and an officer in the Royal Manticoran Navy. Physical Characteristics Honor has brown eyes, which she inherited from her mother, short, brown hair and a pale complexion. She was the recipient of third generation prolong anti-aging treatments which make her look around fifteen years younger. (HH1) She had increased metabolic efficiency and muscle development due to the Meyerdahl genetic modification. She is thus well adapted to Sphinx's heavy gravity. Because her body consumes more energy than average, she can eat large meals and desserts without gaining weight. A side-effect of the Meyerdahl is the inability to be treated by regeneration. She was a tall woman even for Manticoran standards. She stood a full six centimeters above Major Tomas Ramirez. Biography Honor was born on October 1, 1859 PD, or 256 AL at Craggy Hollow, County Duvalier, in the Duchy of Shadow Vale on the planet Sphinx to two physicians, Alfred Harrington, Surgeon Commander in the RMN, and Doctor Allison Chou Harrington. (UHH) Academy Years While at Saganami Island Academy, Honor took Fourth Form Tactics under the tutelage of Captain Raoul Courvosier. Honor did poorly in her mathematics courses. When she was a midshipwoman, Pavel Young attempted to rape her, but she beat him in self-defense. Young was forced to apologize to her by Commandant Hartley. (HH1) During a Regatta, Honor and Michelle Henke buzzed the Commandant's boat. Her academic performance and Michelle's relation to the Crown likely spared the two from serious reprimand. (HHA3:MMH) Honor was introduced to Coup de Vitasse by Chief Petty Officer MacDougal, one of her instructors, and she studied it at the Academy, eventually becoming a black belt in the form. (HH2) Midshipman Cruise As her final exam, Honor served her midshipwoman or "snotty" cruise aboard the heavy cruiser [[HMS War Maiden|HMS War Maiden]], under the command and tutelage of Captain (SG) Thomas Bachfisch. Bachfisch had personally selected Honor to serve her cruise on his ship under the advice of Courvosier. War Maiden was tasked with anti-piracy patrols in Silesia. Unlike most of the other officers serving on War Maiden, Honor thought Assistant Tactical Officer Lieutenant Elvis Santino displayed a towering sense of superiority, and had a hectoring sneer. Santino seemed to have an issue with the presence of Nimitz, and at times reminded Honor of Pavel Young. Santino was replaced during the cruise by Lieutenant Saunders, after the ship's Executive Officer found Santino to be an abusive bully toward the midshipmen under his charge. Bachfisch introduced Honor to the idea that regularly inviting her subordinate officers to dinner was a good way to get to know her staff. Upon meeting him for the first time, Honor was mildly disappointed that he didn't fit her mental image of a dashing and distinguished captain of the King's navy, however her opinion quickly changed when she realized how well he worked with his staff, and how he drew all his officers into discussions following dinner. Honor accompanied the marine boarding party that inspected the [[RMMS Gryphon's Pride|RMMS Gryphon's Pride]] after the War Maiden chased away pirates that had been boarding her. The pirates had massacred the crew. Lieutenant Santino was instructed to lead the prize crew on Grypon's Pride back to Manticore, and Honor was promoted to acting Assistant Tactical Officer. (HHA3:MMH) Life as a Naval Officer After graduating from the Commanding Officer's Course, Honor waited two months before taking command of the [[HMS Hawkwing|HMS Hawkwing]]. After she took command of an LAC, Honor was assigned to be an executive officer on an vessel. She was assigned to the [[HMS Manticore|HMS Manticore]] as a tactical officer. Upon finishing her tour with the Hawkwing, Honor was selected for the coveted Advanced Tactical Course as a candidate for becoming a captain of a hyper capable command. Honor graduated first in her class, which was taught by Admiral Courvosier. 1900 PD to 1901 PD ]] Honor took command of [[HMS Fearless (CL-56)|HMS Fearless]], whose experimental weapons design included energy weapons for close encounters at the expense of missiles that would allow them to safely get into energy range. Only surprise could get them past an enemy’s defenses. In war games, Honor succeeded in such a surprise ambush, but once the “enemy” knew her capabilities, she suffered repeated, humiliating defeats. Honor and her crew were ordered to Basilisk Station, long regarded as a place of disgrace. Yet her duties were important—to protect against smuggling and prevent Haven (or any enemy) from making a surprise attack via the wormhole. Arriving at Basilisk, Honor was immediately summoned to meet the senior officer—Pavel Young, who had tried to rape her when they were Academy students, but was injured badly in the ensuing fight. Because of his social class she did not press charges, so he remained in the navy, and his hatred was undiminished. He informed her that he and his ship was returning to Manticore for an urgent refit, and she—a Commander--would be the senior officer at Basilisk. Despite inadequate resources, Honor resolved to perform the duties that Young had neglected. She sent inspection teams to Basilisk Traffic Control, and Medusa. Her actions caused the complaints from the Havenite ambassador, Havenite consul on Medusa, merchant cartels, and Havenite merchant captains. Yet she received praise from the Resident Commissioner for Planetary Affairs, Native Protection Agency, and Basilisk Traffic Control. After finding out about the new type of mekoha drug, Harrington used one of the Fearless pinnaces to do sensor runs. She and the Resident Commissioner suspected that Havenite trade envoys were trying to start a native uprising in order to justify Havenite intervention. Harrington sent down Royal Marines to Medusa. The Fearless secretly investigated the [[PMSS Sirius|PMSS Sirius]], when the Sirius left to meet with a PRHN fleet. The Fearless fought the Sirius and the Sirius was destroyed. The Fearless was heavily damaged, and limped back to Medusa. Harrington sent out a Case: Zulu signal to get the Home Fleet to Medusa. In 1901 PD, Harrington was promoted to Captain (senior grade) because of her actions at Medusa. Harrington was given command of the new [[HMS Fearless (CA-286)|HMS Fearless]] in construction at HMSS Hephaestus and awarded the Manticore Cross. (HH1) 1901 PD to 1902 PD In the aftermath of the battle, an Havenite court tried in her in absence, and proclaimed her guilty of murdering an innocent freighter crew. Manticore fought back with informing them that the freighter was a Q-ship. Harrington was awarded the Order of Gallantry medal for her part in the First Battle of Basilisk. Harrington was sent on an anti-piracy patrol in the Silesian Confederacy. During this time, the Fearless defeated an pirate squadron, and rescued a passenger liner. (HH2) 1903 PD ]] When the Fearless put in for a refit at HMSS Vulcan, Honor took a two week leave to visit her parents on Sphinx. Honor had a meeting with Admiral Thayer, the commanding officer of HMSS Vulcan. During the Fearless' recommissioning ceremony, Harrington learned about her next assignment at Grayson. She would be the senior officer of a freighter convoy escort. The convoy would bring more than one hundred fifty billion Manticoran dollars worth of supplies to Grayson; the cost was covered by a generous loan. She would accompany a team of diplomats headed by Raoul Courvosier who were sent to form an alliance with Grayson. Honor had doubts about the diplomatic mission to Grayson, especially after hearing how women were treated on the planet. When she observed the way the Grayson officers were acting towards her, Honor thought her presence was interfering with the mission. She ordered the Fearless to accompany the [[HMS Apollo|HMS Apollo]], and the [[HMS Troubadour|HMS Troubadour]] to the Casca System, even though only the destroyer, [[HMS Madrigal|HMS Madrigal]], remained to assist Grayson. Upon hearing of the harassment of Ensign Carolyn Wolcott by Grayson officers, Harrington ordered a ship wide investigation of any more incidents. Returning to the Yelstin's Star System, Fearless and its companions encountered a group of LACs. Harrington thought they were from Grayson, but the LACs fired on and damaged the Troubadour. Harrington ordered a return fire, and destroyed them. Harrington ordered the group to Grayson. Harrington received a message from Ambassador Anthony Langtry that Masadan warships were in the system, including modern ships of Havenite origin. He also informed her of Admiral Courvosier's death. She took the news hard and blamed herself for taking the trio of RMN vessels to the Casca System. Harrington went down to the Manticore Embassy for a meeting. She argued with Reginald Houseman, who demanded the immediate evacuation of all Manticorans. Harrington argued that the Queen's honor would be irreparably damaged if they abandoned Grayson now. Houseman threatened her commission, and Harrington slapped him. When the Grayson Navy refused to cooperate with her, Harrington demanded a meeting with the Protector, Benjamin Mayhew IX by threatening to withdraw from the system unless he agreed. Assassination Attempt on Benjamin Mayhew IX The Protector responded by inviting Harrington to dinner with his family. Harrington went to the Protector's residence with Nimitz. During the dinner, Harrington informed the Protector of the difficulties she had with various officers of the Grayson Space Navy regarding the deployment and tactics of her squadron. Mayhew agreed to place an admiral in command who would work with her. As dinner was ending, men in security uniforms entered and attacked Mayhew. Harrington and Nimitz acted swiftly to defend Protector Benjamin and his family, killing or wounding several of the assassins. She was hit in the face with disruptor fire and was brought to the Fearless. All the nerves on the left side of her face from her eye to to her chin were destroyed, and her left eye was damaged beyond repair. In addition, she suffered severe soft tissue damage to her left cheek, a broken cheek bone, a broken nose, bruises and internal bleeding. An investigation by Howard Clinkscales revealed that The Brotherhood of Maccabeus was responsible. The leader of the plot was Jared Mayhew, the Protector's cousin. Battle of Blackbird A few hours after the Maccabeans' attack, Harrington, along with Nimitz, Commander Alice Truman, and Commander Alistair McKeon visited the Grayson Command Central and met with Admiral Leon Garret and Admiral Wesley Matthews. Harrington explained the plan that she and her staff came up with to fight against Masada, who had backed the Maccabeans'. The plan used the new type of Recon Drone developed by the RMN that used FTL capabilities to create a basic sensor net across likely approach vectors in Yeltsin's Star System. Freighters returning noncombatants to Msnticore would bring an urgent request for reinforcements, but they would take days to arrive. Howard Clinkscales joined the meeting. He thanked Harrington for her part in thwarting the assassination attempt. She told Clinkscales that Nimitz did most of the work. Clinkscales inquired if Nimitz would like to join Palace Security. He explained that one of the Brotherhood of Maccabeus's pilots revealed that Masada put an advanced forward base on Blackbird and that their "biggest ship" [[PNS Saladin|MNS Thunder of God]] was in the Endicott System, which prompted Harrington to move against the Masadan base before it returned. Captain Harrington deployed the Grayson-RMN forces so that their LACs could mask the energy signatures of the larger vessels. Her fleet destroyed or captured the entire Masadan force, forcing Principality, originally Breslau, captained by Commander Thomas Theisman, to surrender. Principality was on "loan" to Masada from the People's Republic of Haven. Commander Theisman informed her that [[HMS Madrigal|HMS Madrigal]]'s survivors were being held at Blackbird Base, and implied that they were in danger. Harrington called a meeting of the fleet's senior officers and formulated new battle plans. An assault force led by Manticoran Marines took Blackbird Base. In captivity, Colonel Harris informed her where to find the Madrigal survivors. In that location, Harrington found Commander Mercedes Brigham and Ensign Mai-ling Jackson badly injured, and learned that the majority of Madrigal survivors had suffered brutal deaths at the Masadans' hands. Captain Jason Alvarez was killed as he tried to protect the women from being raped and beaten. Harrington almost killed the base's commander, Captain Williams, once she saw what had happened to the prisoners, but was restrained by Major Tomas Ramirez and Admiral Wesley Matthews of the Grayson Space Navy, as well as Liuetenant Scotty Tremaine. Admiral Matthews vowed that the Masadans would receive justice. The Aftermath of Blackbird Captain Harrington questioned Commander Theisman and had him present when Fritz Montoya gave a report of the extent of the injuries that Mercedes Brigham and Mai-ling Jackson suffered while in Masadan captivity. Theisman agreed to testify against Captain Williams and the other Masadan officers of Blackbird. She ordered Commander Truman and the Apollo to leave for Manticore as soon as possible to request reinforcements in preparation for combat with the [[PNS Saladin|MNS Thunder of God]], now known to be a battlecruiser. Harrington promised Admiral Matthews that she would stand with Grayson against any more threats from the Masadans. Second Battle of Yeltsin's Star Because of disagreements and mutual distrust between the Masadans and the Havenites, Thunder of God was delayed in the Endicott system for four days and was packed with Masadans who mutinied and took control of the ship. Fearless detected its approach from the far side of Yeltsin’s Star and observed it for several hours, undetected. Harrington put Fearless on a spiral course inside Thunder''s path in order to protect the planet. Noting the clumsiness of ''Thunder''s tactics, Harrington realized that Masadans were commanding the ship. She suspected that the Masadans would attack Grayson from a distance if they had the opportunity. In repeated missile battles, ''Troubador was destroyed and Fearless suffered severe damage, but Thunder was hurt badly as well. A relief force commanded by Earl White Haven aboard HMS Reliant arrived, and White Haven ordered Harrington to break off. When she did not respond, he realized her communications were out. He fired a missile salvo, knowing he was out of range and the missiles would be unable to maneuver when they reached their target. However, some of them did hit. Attempting to evade, Thunder turned its bow toward Fearless and was destroyed by a broadside. Nine hundred Manticorans died in the battle and another 300 were wounded. However, Alistair McKeon got nearly a hundred survivors to safety in Troubador's pinnace. A few weeks later, Harrington met with Earl White Haven, Ambassador Langtry, Protector Benjamin IX and Admiral Wesley Matthews. White Haven informed her that a reprimand was in her file as a result of her striking Reginald Houseman, and warned her that other such incidents would end her career. Despite the reprimand, she received honors for her actions. Protector Benjamin asked her to sign the draft treaty of alliance in the name of Queen Elizabeth III. He informed her that funds have been approved to form a new Harrington Steading, and he asked her to be the first Steadholder Harrington. Langtry told her that the Queen would make her a Countess. Admiral Matthews presented her with the Star of Grayson. In addition, she was awarded the title Knight Companion of the Order of King Roger. From that point onward, she was addressed as “Dame Honor”. (HH2) Character Honor prefers a hot cup of cocoa over a cup of coffee. Honor does not like the taste of coffee, but enjoys the smell of it. She does not like politicians, especially after the First Battle of Basilisk. Honor likes to work out in the Ship's gym late at night because she is self-conscientious. She has a regular sparing partner. She is searching for a good space suit for Nimitz. Harrington detested favoritism, and attempted to be fair to all of her officers under her command. Some of Harrington's mannerisms include biting the inside of her cheek when in deep thought, and rubbing her nose in deep thought. Service Record Promotions * 17/12/267 A.L. - Ensign, acting Lieutenant (JG) * 03/02/267 A.L. - Lieutenant (JG) * c1881 P.D., 15/38/269 A.L. - Lieutenant (SG) * 02/35/273 A.L. - Lieutenant Commander * 17/12/277 A.L. - Commander * c1901 P.D., 04/10/281 A.L. - Captain (SG) * c1905 P.D. - Colonel (RMMC)Such promotion was a way for the Crown to show special approval of a Captain (SG) to junior for promotion to flag rank. It was a purely symbolic appointment, although it did include a Marine Colonel's pay scale in addition to regular Captain's pay. (HH4) * c1907 P.D. - Admiral (GSN) * c1911 P.D. - Commodore * c1913 P.D. - Admiral * before c1922 P.D. - High Admiral (GSN)HH11, mentioned in the List of Characters * c1921 P.D., August - acting Fleet Admiralbecause of Home Fleet command Posts in RMN * c1876 P.D. - Cadet, Royal Manticoran Naval Academy, Saganami Island, * c1880 P.D., 11/27/267 A.L. - Midshipwoman, Assistant Tactical Officer (acting), Assistant Tactical Officer, HMS War Maiden, CA-39 (HH0) * 03/03/268 A.L. - Artillery Officer Candidate, HMS Royal Winton, DN-12 * 08/19/269 A.L. - Second Assistant Artillery Officer, HMS Royal Winton, DN-12 * c1881 P.D., 16/04/269 A.L. - Sailing Master, HMS Osprey, FG-1069 * 15/35/271 A.L. - Second Assistant Tactical Officer, HMS Manticore, SD-01 * 12/24/271 A.L. - Assistant Tactical Officer, HMS Manticore, SD-01 * c1882 P.D., 05/12/727 A.L. - Commanding Officer, HM LAC 113 * 03/10/273 A.L. - Executive Officer, HMS Trenchant, CL-19 * c1890 P.D., 09/02/275 A.L. - Executive Officer, HMS Broadsword, CA-47 (HHA2) * 09/28/276 A.L. - Executive Officer, HMS Perseus, CL-92 * 12/01/277 A.L. - Tactical Officer, HMS Basilisk, SD-105 * 17/17/277 A.L. - Student, Commanding Officer's Course, Royal Manticoran Naval Academy, Saganami Island * c1897 P.D., 02/08/278 A.L. - Commanding Officer, HMS Hawkwing, DD-1213 * c1900 P.D., 17/06/279 A.L. - Student, Advanced Tactical Course, Royal Manticoran Naval Academy, Saganami Island * c1900 P.D., March 3rd - c1901 P.D., January, from 04/35/280 A.L. - Commanding Officer, HMS Fearless, CL-56, acting Senior Officer, Basilisk picket"RMN Basilisk Station" (HH1) * c1901 - c1903 P.D., 04/35/281 - 13/25/283 A.L. - Commanding Officer, HMS Fearless, CA-286 (HHA4, HH2) * c1904 - c1905 P.D., from 06/21/284 A.L. - Commanding Officer, HMS Nike, BC-413 (HH3, HH4) * c1908 P.D., September - c1910 P.D., March - Commanding Officer, RMN Task Group 1037, Commanding Officer, HMAMC Wayfarer, AMC- (HH6) * c1910 P.D. - c1911 P.D. - Weapons Development Board member (HH7) * c1911 P.D. - Commanding Officer, Cruiser Squadron Eighteen (HH7) * c1914 P.D. - c1918 P.D. - Commandant, Saganami Island Advanced Tactical Course, Tactical Instructor, Royal Manticoran Naval Academy (HH9) * c1918 P.D. - c1920 P.D. - Senior Officer, Sidemore Station, Commanding Officer, Task Force 34 (HH10) * c1920 P.D., July - c1921 P.D., August - Commanding Officer, Eighth Fleet (HH11) * from c1920 P.D., July - Commanding Officer, HMS Unconquered (HH11) * from c1921 P.D., August - Commanding Officer, Home Fleet (HH11) Periods of inactive service in RMN Posts in GSN * c1907 PD - c1909 PD - Commanding Officer, First Battle Squadron, acting Commander-in-Chief during Fourth Battle of Yeltsinas GSN's second in command (HH5) * c1911 PD - c1913/1914in is not certain, when exactly ESN was disbanded P.D. - Commanding OfficerAdmiral of GSN, anti-Havenite forces on Hades, Elysian Space Navy (HH8) * from c1914 PD - Commanding Officer, Protector's Own Squadron (HH9) From 1909 PD detached for temporary duty with the RMN (HH6). Decorations * Conspicuous Gallantry Medal (RMN) - 271 A.L., 283 A.L. * Manticore Cross - 283 A.L. * Monarch's Thanks Medal - 271 A.L., 281 A.L., 283 A.L. * Order of Gallantry * Star of Grayson - 283 A.L. * Distinguished Service Order - 283 A.L. * Sidemore Presidential Medal - 1911 P.D. References Harrington, Honor Harrington, Honor Harrington, Honor Harrington, Honor Harrington, Honor Harrington, Honor Harrington, Honor Harrington, Honor Harrington, Honor Harrington, Honor Harrington, Honor Harrington, Honor Harrington, Honor Harrington, Dame Honor